Dominant Puppy

[Devo]

I have a little (not that little) 12 week old staffy X puppy.

He sleeps outside and plays outside most of the day but when he comes inside he's a monster (but still soooo adorable).

He has been part of the family for 4 weeks now and is becomming a very challenging little boy.

He growls and barks at me.. gives me the 'stare off' but only towards me.. my other housemates are fine (they dont lay down the law)

any suggestions to regain dominance in the situation..

When he gets too full on the only thing i have been able to do that kinda works is put him outside for 10 mins or so.

[Natashja]

I have a little (not that little) 12 week old staffy X puppy.

He sleeps outside and plays outside most of the day but when he comes inside he's a monster (but still soooo adorable).

He has been part of the family for 4 weeks now and is becomming a very challenging little boy.

He growls and barks at me.. gives me the 'stare off' but only towards me.. my other housemates are fine (they dont lay down the law)

any suggestions to regain dominance in the situation..

When he gets too full on the only thing i have been able to do that kinda works is put him outside for 10 mins or so.

I'm not the most experienced dog owner in the world, but it sounds like you need to assert yourself as leader of the pack. Don't let your pup get anything he wants until he does something for you ie. make him sit to get his meals, before he comes inside, before he goes for walks etc. Don't let him eat before you, or go through doorways before you. Don't give him affection when he asks for it, instead, call him to you when you want to give him a cuddle... if he doesn't come to you, he doesn't get hugs. He has to learn that everything that happens in his life is on your terms as the pack leader.

Now all of this is easier said than done! It takes a huge commitment from you and I know this from personal experience. I have a 16 week old Mini Poodle with a very strong alpha personality and my OH and I have to be relentless about letting him know he's at the bottom of the pack heirarchy.

Try reading K9 Force's post on Triange of Temptation. I'm yet to try it at home but it's been a great training tool for many people here.

Edited May 8, 2006 by Natashja

[BrunoBella]

Devo

What fun you're having ... My puppy is now 11 weeks old, when he occasionally goes out of control he goes into his crate for 15 minutes (or until he calms down). This is a safe non-threatening way to calm down an agitated pup. At this age you need to make sure he has happy experiences so try not to yell.

I would introduce him to the house in short supervised spurts, eg, 15 minutes inside with your full attention and then outside again. I'm sure some staffy experts can give better advice on the dominance issues but don't forget he is a baby and does not know correct behaviour. It will take a lot of patience to train him properly.

When my pup is in his crate he will jump at the gate for me to let him out. I stand by the crate and wait for him to stop and sit. When he does, I let him out. 2 weeks later and he sits everytime I walk past the crate in case i might want to let him out

[rugerfly]

yep, i second a crate in the house. till they learn their spot, dont let them have the run of the house.

Then again i cant practice what i preach...

seriously, a puppy should learn to love its crate, so dont leave it just for punishment.....buy one now before its too late...

[Devo]

yes, i have to teach him that inside is a privillage and that he shouldnt expect to be let in when ever i'm home.

The Triangle of Tempation sounds good and i will start on that soon..

but really what did i expect, he is a bully breed and arnt they one of the best at being arrogant.. hehehe

[Keen]

Hmm... "just because he's a bully breed" !! Just before she has a sleep, my angelic Cocker goes into what we call 'the frenzy' and we wait for her head will do a 360 turn. She is not allowed in the kitchen, and she challenges us on this all the time. When she she is forced to "get out of the kitchen!", she sits in the doorway and does a defiant little 'woo woo wooo'. The I say "don't you talk back to me," and we get the 'woo woo wooo' again. Gotta have the last word. She is 10 weeks old.

[BrunoBella]

Yes I think it is normal puppy behaviour. Bruno throws some lovely tanties. The other night he was sitting in the laundry with his basket on his head .

I have been trying the triangle of temptation on Bella and Bruno and it works well. Bruno did a 1 second sit stay for his dinner.

Have just put Bruno into his crate for timeout and am listening to some great whining/whimpering/crying

[fido666]

The only problem with using the crate as a "sin bin" is that you are teaching the puppy that the crate is for punishment, you really should use another room not used as a sleeping place. You want your puppy to view the crate as a safe happy place that's nice to be in. I only have to get the biscuits out at night and both of mine fly into their crates and whack their bums on the ground so fast it's hilarious. Certainly it's ok to give puppy time outs for overly boisterous behaviour but choose the right place. Demands for attention should be ignored, no verbal, visual, or tactile contact should be given till the pup is quiet, I call this "four on the floor". I have a 9mth old who likes to talk back and is very vocal demanding her tucker, I do understand how hard it is to ignore at times .

Cheers,

Corine

[Bindie]

In the dog community, the most dominant in the pack always eats first. Before you feed your puppy, make sure that he can see you eating. Either finish your meal and then feed your puppy or grab something to snack on, have him watch you finish it, and then feed him. Since you always eat first, your dog will learn that you are dominant to him.

Also, never let your dog come above your eye level. Again, this is a sign of dominance so the height of your eyes should always be above his. Don't lie on the floor to play with him, or lay down next to him as this brings your eyes to his height making him at the same level of the pecking order as you. Importantly, never let him stand above you as this makes him your superior.

www.puppypsych.com.au

[Devo]

Thanks bindie!

It's all great help!

[Kelpie-i]

Our pup has his half hour of frenzy each night. He terrorises the other dogs until one of them puts him in his place. None better trainer than another dog I reckon :D

I use the crate but I do not use it for sin-binning. He goes in there to sleep or play on his own accord and I keep the door open so that he can go in and out as he pleases. The only time I shut the door is when at night time.

Puppies will try to get away with what they can. Setting clear boundaries and sticking to them is your best defense against possible problems. If you don't want him to do something, then don't ever let him. The minute you give in, he's won! Consistency is the key and they will quickly learn what is allowed and what is not.

Have fun!

[Poodle wrangler]

The joys of puppydom

It's not breed-specific: I have a mini poodle with a dominant personality and had him actually nip my OH once as a pup- the pup was saying, "go away, she's mine and I'm above you in the pack". He's not nipped again since as he was firmly demoted i.e. not allowed on beds/ lounges, OH fed him after making him sit, practicing submissive gestures e.g. shaking paw, drop (lie down) etc. Once he settled- didn't take long- dog was allowed up on lounges/ beds, but ONLY when invited. You're the teacher and give a naturally dominant dog an inch and they'll take a mile! You want a dog as companion, not a menace to yourself and others :D

[Muttaburra]

When you get home, try letting him do the meet and greet in the yard. Once he has quietened down, put him on the lead and then take him indoors. Until he can behave indoors on the lead, don't let him off.

You might seriously consider taking him to obedience classes.

On the bright side, sometimes dogs of this temperment can be the most rewarding once you've got the obedience thing happening.

Don't forget, lots of positive reinforcement, if it gets too much, you should just put him outside, dominance and control needs to be a subltle thing. If you use too much force or punishment then your dog will try the same on you.

[Devo]

Thanks guys..

heres a little catch up on how it's all going...

We have been working on me being the leader of the pack (ie me eating first and not letting him get away witht things) and it seems to be working.. He has started to have more respect for me and listening to me (alittle) more.

He still gets puppy "crazy eye time" wich is a hoot! but i can see it comming.. He kinda winds up to it, so i just try to puppy proof the lounge room in time.. lol

We have been spending more time together and working on obedience. He is such a smart little boy! (proud mum syndrome)

We will start obedience as soon as we can.

He is 12 weeks, What age can the start training? We have already got Sit, drop, stay and are working on Shake hands.

[lab and poodle]

It's not breed-specific: I have a mini poodle with a dominant personality and had him actually nip my OH once as a pup- the pup was saying, "go away, she's mine and I'm above you in the pack". He's not nipped again since as he was firmly demoted i.e. not allowed on beds/ lounges, OH fed him after making him sit, practicing submissive gestures e.g. shaking paw, drop (lie down) etc.

I practice an ounce of prevention etc, after having some hassles form a lab who fancied his chances. We do all the usual stuff, meal goes for walk if not sat for, must sit or drop to go out come in. Not allowed to run amok in house. House rule is obedience title required for access to bed. We don't have the continual no no stuff, but lots of yes yes,TREATS TOYS PLAY and good girl and so if my voice is even slighly raised, it gets heard.

I also must say that "Dominance /submission" patterns are a model of particular types of behaviour. Being a model, it dosen't cover all evntualities. Sometimes the word leadership is used. It really is about resource control. I reckon that if you make it the central plank of your "relationship" with your dog, you will miss out on an awful lot

[kaywoman68]

My little boy Orson was (and still is) a very dominant puppy with me. He would growl at me when he didnt' like what I was doing (ie. taking a toy away) and would nip at my feet. It was horrible :D

It's taken heaps and heaps of effort. He still growls but not as much anymore. It's certainly helped me more since I started obedience training with him. We have 2 dogs and OH decided that I would take Orson because I need to assert the fact i'm the boss, not him. It's turned out to be a good idea and he's learnt so much since then. We are graduating from Beginners B and going to Intermediate!!!

[mamasgoldenboy]

Our cocker spaniel Maverick is a dominant boy. I did ask the breeder to send me a quiet placid cocker spaniel. Maverick has learnt to sit and wait for his meals. he can sit and stay, will come when called and he knows who the boss is. When he was a puppy he was a fair little devil he would nip us all, then i would gently close his mouth and say no biting. Well that worked he never nipped again. I must say that he has the most lovely temprement, and is easy to train. It is real funny when Maverick wants to go and play he lets out a woo woo woo, like hurry up and lets play fetch the ball, me hubby thinks its funny. I wouldn't change Mav for the world, he certainly brightens up our days.